Gary Wicks began his musical career as a bassist in Albany, NY, where he performed publicly for the first time for his kindergarten class at P.S. 19. By the age of 14, he was a member of the Empire State Youth Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Jazz Ensemble.

Gary’s professional career began in musical theater, where he performed for shows including Ain’t Misbehavin’, Damn Yankees, and Brigadoon, and accompanied performers such as Bob Newhart, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Regis Philbin, and Kathy Lee Gifford.

While still in high school, Gary was hired as a substitute bassist for the Albany Symphony Orchestra, where he appeared with acclaimed concert pianist Andre Watts. In the summer of 1991, Gary attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where he appeared as a featured performer with the world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Gary moved to Boston in the fall of 1992 to attend the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Don Palma (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra), Jim Orleans (Boston Symphony), Cecil McBee, John Lockwood, Danilo Perez (Impulse Records), among others.

In 1995, Gary played a short tour of Russia with the Saint Cecilia Jazz Orchestra (Albany, NY), lead by vibraphonist and four-time Grammy-nominated Blue Note recording artist Stefon Harris.

While still at NEC, Gary helped form the R&B funk band The Daddys, which packed local clubs and was nominated for best funk band at the 1996 Boston Music Awards. Later that same year, Gary helped form The Rockett Band, an original rock group featuring singer/songwriter Dan Rockett.  The Rockett Band recorded two albums and toured the country until 2000, when its members left to pursue other projects.

After the Rockett Band, Gary performed and recorded in Boston with such notable artists as Dead Cat Bounce (Best Jazz Group, Boston Phoenix, 2001), bluegrass singer/songwriter and Compass Records recording artist Jake Armerding, and rock band Moonboot Lover, among others. Gary also appeared with DJ Mr. Rourke on Drop the Needle (Amulet Records), a side project of Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, and Wood).

In 2001, Gary founded, composed, and arranged all music for, performed with, and lead The Downtime Sessions, an original jazz ensemble.  The Downtime Sessions performed numerous live performances in and around the Boston area and recorded a full-length debut CD at Echo Bass Studio in Newton, MA.

Shortly there after, Gary began composing songwriting material. After gaining much experience backing other singer/songwriters, he was ready to explore this avenue of music as well. He recorded a short EP at Witchdoctor Recording in Salem, MA, where he performed most of the instruments including the vocals. With the EP in hand Gary began performing this new material around the Boston music scene.

In the spring of 2003, Gary relocated to Los Angeles, where he accepted a fellowship for bass performance at The Henry Mancini Institute for the 2003 season. At the institute, Gary shared the stage with such notable artists as Diana Krall, Arturo Sondoval, Peter Erskine, and Monica Mancini, to name a few. Gary also premiered his first jazz string quartet, The Dark Sea, to a full concert hall and received great reviews. He has also received attention for his Downtime Sessions recording and is working on new compositions for the ensemble. Gary continues to push the group and its music in new directions, featuring eclectic instrumentation ranging from dobro slide guitar to DJ turntablism, while always maintaining the Sessions’ signature raw and layered sound.

In January 2004, Gary was selected to be the bassist for Concord Records recording artist, Monica Mancini, on her winter tour of the United States. The very accomplished producer, bandleader, and drummer, Gregg Field, produced the tour. When the tour concluded, Gary was featured on A&E’s television show Breakfast with the Arts with Monica Mancini and Gregg Field. In May 2005, Gary was selected to be the bassist for the Percy Faith Orchestra for the 2005 tour of Japan.  Later that summer, Gary was chosen to be the bassist for Decca recording artist Chantz Powell. Gary was featured as his bassist at some of Europe’s most prestigious jazz festivals including The North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague and the Jazz A Juan Festival in Antibes, France.

After his experiences performing around Europe, Gary relocated briefly to London, where he enjoyed performing and recording as a part of the vibrant London music scene. In the spring of 2007 Gary returned to the music scene in Los Angeles where he began teaching bass at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a small music school founded by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea. In The spring of 2008, Gary began touring internationally as the bassist for the internationally renowned Grammy award winning group The Manhattan Transfer. He is currently living in Silverlake.